Breaking Down Jason Worilds' Production for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013

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Breaking Down Jason Worilds' Production for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Jason Worilds was expected to be an in-demand free agent this offseason.

That was before the Steelers slapped the transition tag on him and Worilds decided to sign it before free agency began. Outside of a trade, this means that Worilds will be playing for the Steelers in 2014. He may negotiate a new long-term contract or he will play under the tender, but either way he will remain in Pittsburgh.

Worilds was a second-round pick in the 2010 draft.

He had 10 combined sacks over his first three seasons while playing a limited role. When the Steelers selected Jarvis Jones in the first round of last year's draft, it was thought that Worilds' role would remain limited.

However, through a combination of poor play from Jones and LaMarr Woodley's continued fall from grace, Worilds started 11 games in 2013.

In those 11 starts, 15 total appearances, Worilds managed to rack up eight sacks, 63 tackles and two forced fumbles. It was a career year for the then 25-year-old outside linebacker. He played both right and left outside linebacker and his play remained consistent.

Worilds is officially listed at 6'2" and 262 lbs. He has a decent burst off the line of scrimmage, but he is not one of the fastest pass rushers in the NFL. His size is adequate, but his strength isn't overwhelming. Worilds is an average athlete in relation to other edge defenders in the NFL.

Because he is not Aldon Smith or J.J. Watt physically, it's important to understand how good Worilds actually is.

We can't presume that he is a star because even his peak in production wasn't that high. He doesn't have a track record of prolonged success to erase any doubts and he had his best season in a contract year for an average defense.

Worilds had eight official sacks in 2013.

None of those sacks were half sacks, so he took the quarterback to the ground eight times in total. He had two multiple sack games, so that means he had nine games without a sack during the regular season. He didn't play in Week 17.

The below chart breaks down who Worilds beat and how he beat them.

Who and How.
Timestamp Players Beaten Speed Rush Bull Rush Other
NYJ, Q2 10:41 Bilal Powell No No Strength against bad block
NE, Q1 11:01 None No No No
NE, Q3 03:15 Nate Solder Yes No No
DET, Q3 11:13 None No No No
BAL, Q1 09:54 Ray Rice No No Strength against bad block
BAL, Q2 04:27 Michael Oher Yes No Dip
MIA, Q2 13:18 None No No No
GB, Q2 12:33 None No No No
Analytical Analysis Through NFL.com

Not only did Worilds not beat many high quality offensive linemen, he didn't beat many offensive linemen at all.

Worilds beat four players in total on his eight sack plays. One of those was Nate Solder, the New England Patriots' very talented left tackle. The other was Michael Oher, one of the worst starting right tackles in the NFL last season.

On two other plays Worilds beat Ray Rice and Bilal Powell. Running backs. Powell and Rice both made very pathetic attempts to block Worilds in space as they dived at his feet. Worilds was able to easily brush them off to continue towards the quarterback.

Understanding how Worilds got to the quarterback explains his value. It doesn't take an exceptionally talented player to take advantage of a well-timed blitz or offensive dysfunction. It takes a star player to continue to produce even while being faced by high-quality offensive linemen or double teams.

Worilds was given a clean route to the quarterback on two occasions because of well-executed stunts. For another he was able to tackle Ryan Tannehill after a botched snap on a running play. The final of his eight sacks came when he dropped into coverage and Tom Brady scrambled out of the pocket.

NFL.com

NFL.com
A large percentage of the sacks Worilds got in 2013 were plays that you would expect an average linebacker to make. They were the kind of plays that couldn't be created by the defense without some mistake(s) from the offense.

When you watch a player such as Robert Quinn or Robert Mathis take down the quarterback, they do it in such a way that it's very difficult for the offense to stop them. That is not what Worilds brings to your defense.

The Steelers will either pay Worilds a huge salary this year or they will heavily invest in him on a long-term deal. They are paying the price of a star pass rusher for a player who doesn't perform like one.

As the above chart shows, Worilds didn't have a single sack that took less than three seconds. His 3.35 second average per sack isn't what you'd expect from an above average pass rusher in today's NFL.

Worilds did have a stretch during the season when he was getting pressure on the quarterback, but that pressure came against less-than-stellar offensive line and quarterback combinations. Pressure for an edge rusher in today's NFL also isn't as valuable as it used to be.

The better quarterbacks in the league are much more adept at adjusting to edge pressure than they are pressure up the middle. If you're not sacking the quarterback, your pressure can easily be nullified by a quick release from a pocket passer or by a more athletic quarterback who can scramble or extend the play comfortably.

Jason Worilds isn't necessarily a bad player.

He is not a great run defender and he has a limited pass-rushing skill set. The Steelers have simply been too desperate to retain him and in doing so have given up all their leverage in contract negotiations. With over $9 million already guaranteed for Worilds, he has no motivation to settle for a team-friendly deal.

The Steelers made a tactical error by investing so heavily in an average outside linebacker.

Terrific article. I have suspected that Worilds jump to stardom might be a flash in the pan. Its also why the Steelers might not rush to sign him to a long term deal. I think they want to see if he is truly legit. I'm not sure he is to be honest with you. I'm not sure we have a legit pass rusher on this squad. JJ might grow into that...he is athletic enough...but is he fast enough? Woodley might not even be a Steeler and he isn't above just collecting a paycheck. If Barr falls...and I think its possible...do the Steelers grab him?

Terrific article. I have suspected that Worilds jump to stardom might be a flash in the pan. Its also why the Steelers might not rush to sign him to a long term deal. I think they want to see if he is truly legit. I'm not sure he is to be honest with you. I'm not sure we have a legit pass rusher on this squad. JJ might grow into that...he is athletic enough...but is he fast enough? Woodley might not even be a Steeler and he isn't above just collecting a paycheck. If Barr falls...and I think its possible...do the Steelers grab him?

Will he be any better than JJ? It seems he's actually thinner and weaker than JJ probably, which is his biggest knock right now. JJ - 20 reps and he is considered weak. Barr - 15 reps...that is scary. (Arms are only 1/2" longer too)

Barr is much more explosive, but how will that fit into a Steelers defense where he needs to play the run well and take on blockers?

Will he be any better than JJ? It seems he's actually thinner and weaker than JJ probably, which is his biggest knock right now. JJ - 20 reps and he is considered weak. Barr - 15 reps...that is scary. (Arms are only 1/2" longer too)

Barr is much more explosive, but how will that fit into a Steelers defense where he needs to play the run well and take on blockers?

Reps dont really tell the whole story. 15-25 is a decent range for a LB. Anthony barr was great in timed drills but he is a bend the corner type OLB, not a get under the pad level one. Scary isnt how id define it, Jared allen did like 13 reps.

Realistically as far as functional football strength, theres no more useless weight lifting test than 225 reps on the bench

The Steelers currently have zero money invested in Jason Worilds over the long term...if the Steelers did not tag him, they would have given up any leverage they had in negotiations...I would be okay with Worilds having to play under the tag for another year...if he produces, sign him to a long term contract after this season or tag him again...

The transition tag is interesting. At first, I thought it was simply a negotiating tactic. But, now, at best, it is simply an overpay for a one year deal. Once Worilds signed the tag, we really lost our negotiating ability. What reasonable offer would he sign now? It just seems weird to me.

Even if Bill Belichick was getting an atomic wedgie, his face would look exactly the same.

Terrible article. I hate these types of breakdowns. A sack is a sack. Now we're breaking it down as to which "type" of sack it was? They all count, and they all help your team.

This reminds me of the ridiculous Barry Sanders criticisms. "If it wasn't for his 85-yard TD run we really had him bottled up for most of the game..."

Who cares which offensive player gave up the sack? This is football and there are 11-players on either side of the ball. It's an INCREDIBLY rare occasion that every single person does their job perfectly on every play. It's the job of the defense to take advantage of an offensive screw-up and vice-versa.

Does anyone denigrate a QB or WR if they score a TD when the defender slips, or there is a breakdown in coverage for the defense? NO! They praise them for taking advantage of the opportunity. Same thing applies for defense. If a RB or TE misses a block or there's a breakdown and a defender comes free off the edge, so be it!

Sure a sack is a sack on the stat sheet, but if half of his sacks are unblocked straight lines at the QB in garbage time should that heavily weigh in paying him $10 million for a single season? The answer is no btw

Like ive said before, ive never seen worilds win a one on one battle until this season...to me that is concerning.